Qantas 747-338 fuel gauge issue - ATSB report

[Paul McFarlane]

I searched - I hope this hasn't been mentioned before..


from http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-29277,00.html

THE crew of a Qantas Boeing 747 shut down one of four engines after a fuel tank ran dry because of a faulty fuel gauge, the national transport safety watchdog says.

A repot by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the aircraft continued its flight from Jakarta and made a routine landing in Melbourne.

The incident occurred on February 5, 2007, some 256km north of Melbourne when the crew noticed that the number three tank fuel quantity indicator (FQI) was reading zero.

The crew shut down the engine and broadcast an alert but decided to continue to their destination.

On landing in Melbourne, an inspection revealed no fuel at all in the number three fuel tank.

The aircraft had been refuelled in Jakarta. ATSB said the faulty FQI gauge resulted in a reduced fuel load in that tank.

"An over-read malfunction in the number-3 FQI had resulted in the crew believing there was a greater quantity of fuel remaining in the tank than was actually present," the ATSB report said.

"The planned quantity of fuel for arrival at Melbourne for the number-3 tank was 2500 kilograms."

ATSB said an investigation of the incident determined that the FQI malfunction was caused by either an electrical malfunction, water contamination or a combination of both.

It said the investigation also found refuelling procedures were not able to accurately verify the baseline quantity of fuel on board.

Neither could they alert the flight crew or engineers to the consequences of an incorrect fuel quantity indicator system indication.

"As a result of this occurrence, the operator is implementing a series of safety actions, including amending its refuelling procedures and conducting a risk assessment of its fuel management policies and procedures," it said.

ATSB report link.. http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/...200700368.aspx